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2015
December
31: Op/Ed Friday: How every politician and nation, now matter how belligerent, justifies its attacks
30: Iron
29: The United States Constitution, leadership, and why I try to minimize my polluting
28: Technology comes from teams of people
27: The value of science education
26: The opposite of leading
25: What is the opposite of leading?
24: Another reason to say no to a lot of good things to have a great life
23: Four years of burpees!
22: My beliefs from a week of writing them
21: The value of dramatic theater
20: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Must I Pretend to Like My Artist Friend’s Work?
19: When someone says “America is losing ground to China or India,” watch your wallet
18: Caring what others think about you
17: How to Make Meaningful Connections Workshop: January 26 in Brooklyn
16: Power in playing the victim
15: Was the U.S. founded on religious tolerance?
14: How orange peels free you from shame and ignorance
13: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: What Should I Have Done After an I.V.F. Mix-Up?
12: To meet more valuable people, spend less time with people you know
11: Restaurants keep disappointing more the healthier I eat
10: Life lessons from fruits and vegetables
9: Everyone gets distracted. Here’s how to overcome it.
8: You have two options in life
7: How to learn
6: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Should I Marry the Son of a Crook?
5: You don’t learn from someone telling you the answers like you do through experience
4: Op/Ed Friday: Acting against equality, part 2 of “Almost nobody is acting for equality, which is why we aren’t getting it”
3: Improve your networking at ConnectorCon, next Saturday, Dec. 12 in Manhattan
2: Taking responsibility for my airplane flight’s pollution
1: Academia and fitness
November
30: Enjoy, don’t need
29: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Should My Rich Friends Apply for Financial Aid?
28: Why people like Donald Trump
27: A coaching client started her firm and rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange
26: Is it the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
25: Would you rather be you or have been born a Rockefeller?
24: Needing less gives more freedom than having more
23: Still running
22: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can My Workplace Ask Me for a Donation?
21: Sugar’s profit
20: Op/Ed Friday: Almost nobody is acting for equality, which is why we aren’t getting it
19: A book that influenced beliefs I thought fixed more than nearly any other
18: Inspiration in education
17: The opposite of SIDCHAs helps show their value
16: Learn and practice Marshall Goldsmith’s Feedforward, December 1 in Manhattan
15: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Should I Tell My Friend’s Husband That She’s Having an Affair?
14: Failure is how you feel about your results
13: A reader’s SIDCHAs
12: Does this bottle disgust you?
11: Advice to a young man on food
10: Why leadership and entrepreneurship training can learn from acting training
9: See me at Connectorcon, December 12 in Manhattan
8: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: How Much Can We Spend to Keep Our Dog Alive?
7: Abraham Lincoln and the unintended side-effects of leading through authority
6: My Harvard and MIT SIDCHA talk
5: A reader’s success with my email advice
4: Thesweeten.com created one of the worst problems in my life
3: Why America body-slams kids in school, in video
2: Why cops body-slam children in schools
1: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Must a Quaker School Care for Its Neighbors?
October
31: Business successes that looked sure to fail at first
29: Business plan competitions undermine entrepreneurship
29: Interviewed by Columbia Business School on Endurance Sports and Business Success
28: Confidence and pride in your body feels better than chocolate tastes
27: Two thousand posts!
26: Conflicting emotions don’t cancel out.
25: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Should I Set the Record Straight About a Suicide?
24: Are U.S. universities today like U.S. automakers in the 70s and 80s?
23: A problem I don’t see how to solve. Can you help me?
22: Do you trap yourself in mental jails?
21: The laggard manifesto
20: I bought two books
19: Following up a reader’s comment on food, eating, and exercise
18: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: How Do I Handle a Claim of Sexual Assault by a Close Friend?
17: Restaurants make “entertainment for your mouth,” designed for profit, not health. Same with packaged food.
16: A reader’s question on food, eating, and exercise
15: Yoga, attention, nuance, and subtlety
14: Someone not returning your emails? Here’s a polite tactic that gets responses.
13: Technical solutions rarely solve social problems
12: Seeing my inspiration, Inside The Actors Studio, live
11: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Is My Neighbor Obliged to Report Me to Immigration?
10: The problem with “We need more women leaders / in tech / in STEM fields / etc”
9: A miracle contender
8: My odd race story
7: Confusing perception and reality will make even experienced leaders cry
6: Flowing water on Mars?
5: If you want your car to run better, learn about engines and brake systems, not car noises. If you want to lead, learn about emotions and motivations, not how people annoy you
4: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: What Should an Ethicist Tell His Readers?
3: Close-minded talk on food
2: Maturity and pasta
1: Everyone is positive (from their perspective)
September
30: Cockroaches and equality
29: Recycling doesn’t pollute much less than throwing stuff away
28: How to make less more
27: How to give your life meaning
26: Jalapeños, contact lenses, and dedication
25: Op/Ed Fridays: Get your hands and mind dirty if you want to be healthy
24: What about Tiger Woods? Why was he pilloried?
23: Bad boys, success, and discipline
22: How do I make new friends?
21: I don’t have time for the elevator. I take the stairs.
20: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Should I Help a Classmate Who Sexually Harassed My Friend Get a Job?
19: Read about my entrepreneurship course at the Princeton Tech Meetup
18: Op/Ed Fridays: Banning billboards and outdoor advertising
17: Leaders and tools
16: Learn and practice one of the most effective leadership techniques in person — September 30 in Manhattan
15: Why not compliment someone who deserves it?
14: The farm where most of my food this summer came from
13: People who push addictive substances on us
12: Blaming someone for shaming you implies your emotions are out of control
11: What can you recover from?
10: I touched my toes for the first time in over twenty years!
9: Don’t reward yourself with unhealthy things, or anyone
8: Join me for a workshop on entrepreneurial thinking and behavior over a delicious meal at a FED talk
7: I don’t earn fitness, I enjoy it. It’s not about deprivation, it’s about doing what you want.
6: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Lie to My Father About Being Gay So He Will Pay for My College Education?
5: More education doesn’t make you less capable, but universities make you think so
4: Op/ed Fridays: Academics studying leadership versus leadership
3: It’s not what you know OR whom you know. It’s your skills to make connections
2: How to worry less? WINDETIT!
1: A reader simplifies his life. You can too.
August
31: Why I want fewer people in my life
30: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Wear Jewelry If I Don’t Support Its Origins?
29: I’m lucky: I put on fat immediately and lose it slowly
28: Op/Ed Fridays: Drugs have won the drug war. New and different education can stop us losing.
27: “I’m offended!” and “I’m outraged!” … What that means.
26: Schedule your follow-up when you email!
25: Leadership lessons from Frances Hesselbein, part 5/5
24: Leadership lessons from Frances Hesselbein, part 4
23: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Handling a Racist Remark in the Workplace
22: Leadership lessons from Frances Hesselbein, part 3
21: Lessons in leadership from Frances Hesselbein, part 2
20: Lessons in leadership from Frances Hesselbein, part 1
19: “Get in touch with your masculine/feminine side” misunderstands and undervalues men and women
18: “To convince” means “to provoke debate” and rarely works
17: Where do you see yourself in five years?
16: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: How Do I Handle the Towel Saga Next Door?
15: Which should I change: belief, behavior, or both?
14: How do you justify polluting?
13: A reader’s SIDCHAs
12: 60,000 burpees!
11: Old man still got it
10: Leaders rarely work in absolutes
9: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Is It Wrong If a Friend Sells My Hand-Me-Downs?
8: Programmers work with computers and leaders work with people
7: Op/Ed Fridays: “How Much Is a C.E.O. Worth?” misses the point
6: Want someone to help you more? Show appreciation!
5: Do you need to overcome a huge challenge — a crucible — to lead or reach the top?
4: More ineffable truth and beauty of regular life
3: The ineffable truth and beauty of regular life
2: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: What Can I Do About a Neighbor’s Partying Child?
1: Language, communication, evolutionary psychology, and leadership
July
31: Op/Ed Fridays: The misunderstanding behind “There ought to be a law against hate”
30: The nature of emotional challenges
29: SIDCHAs in the wild
28: Learning to communicate beyond words and talking
27: The hardest problems I’ve solved
26: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Should I Ask My Secretary to Fix Her Teeth?
25: How media represent and misrepresent leadership: A reader’s questions
24: Summer Teaching Institute Reflections, day 5
23: Summer Teaching Institute Reflections, day 4
22: Summer Teaching Institute Reflections, day 3
21: Summer Teaching Institute Reflections, day 2
20: Summer Institute Reflections
19: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Post a Photo of a Bad Driver?
18: Some people eat to support working. I think they have it backwards.
17: Are you motivating people for their benefit or yours?
16: Aristotle, then and now
15: Justified! Research confirms that restaurants aren’t that healthy.
14: Angry people giving life advice
13: People want recognition
12: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Should I Respond to My Mechanic’s Racist Poster?
11: Eating at restaurants seems weirder the more healthily I eat. Same with pre-prepared food.
10: Op-Ed Friday: Men and learning leadership
9: How to live a life of luxury and indulgence
8: A 30-year Sidcha: running, swimming, or biking every morning
7: Why leadership and entrepreneurship exercises work
6: See me speak on entrepreneurship: Princeton, July 16
5: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Do Another Woman’s Marriage Vows Bind Me?
4: July 4, 1939: “I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth”
3: Learning about relationships ruins most movies and TV
2: This is not leadership. It makes people think it is and that’s part of why we have poor leaders, part 3
1: This is not leadership. It makes people think it is and that’s part of why we have poor leaders, part 2
June
30: This is not leadership. It makes people think it is and that’s part of why we have poor leaders, part 1
29: First empty inbox in at least a year!
28: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: How Do I Counter My Sister’s Abuse Claims Against Our Father?
27: Recycling doesn’t pollute much less than throwing things out compared to not using stuff in the first place
26: Learn inquiry-driven project-based learning from experienced experts this July!
25: Increasing awareness: Why you get anxious when you’re late
24: The opposite of passive aggression is active compassion
23: See my talk at Stand Up For Passion
22: If you can’t improve it, spending time on it wastes your time
21: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Taxicab Confessions
20: Personal change and changing friends
19: “You’re too f-ing cheap to by my book?!”
18: Mistakes and problems build and strengthen relationships
17: Recovering from mistakes helps more than striving for perfection
16: How to make a phone call with someone you don’t know but want to help you
15: Making a habit stick makes other habits stick easier
14: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Do I Have to Keep a Secret About a Family Member’s Health?
13: Less unsolicited advice, more stories, and public accountability
12: I don’t listen to people who talk science about nutrition.
11: Today’s problems were yesterday’s solutions. Today’s solutions will be tomorrow’s problems.
10: Your past isn’t a restriction
9: Bad news sucks
8: Student feedback on my leadership class
7: Can you tell me about John Taylor Gatto?
6: Have you striven for excellence?
5: How a different model can change everything: genius, shoes, planets, the universe, humans, gods, and sex
4: How a dramatically different model can change everything: addiction
3: An experiment in delegating authority: Having students grade themselves
2: Leading versus coercion
1: Big chairs and the world we live in
May
31: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Do I Have to Tell About a Co-Worker’s Rape?
30: We interpret leaders gloriously leading the charge backward today
29: Why do actors and entertainers become leaders more than the other way around and what can we learn from the pattern?
28: Your degree isn’t a restriction
27: How to get a mentor in two easy steps that work
26: Closing remarks to my leadership class
25: When were you last out of breath?
24: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: May I Lie to My Husband to Get Him to See a Doctor?
23: First half-marathon of the year
22: Advice to a young person considering their eating habits
21: Plants are made of air
20: Questions to raise your self-awareness
19: How to enjoy every day, with no bullshit
18: Universities, academics, and fitness
17: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Change My Name to Avoid Discrimination?
16: Central Park in the Spring
15: Philosophy off the rails and how to get back on
14: Make your habits stick! My new seminar.
13: Leading people in a field is different than working in that field
12: Bought first food with packaging after 2.5 weeks
11: On the value of feeling bad
10: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: What Should I Do About a Nanny Who Drinks?
9: How much time did you waste on that project you loved?
8: Pain I like
7: Buying no food with packaging, eighteen days and counting
6: Better than what used to be good
5: More basics with Michael Jordan, Ray Allen, and Kobe Bryant: more simple and valuable than you think
4: The basics: more simple and valuable than you think
3: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Should I Lend Money to My Irresponsible Parents?
2: How to teach or influence
1: How lecturing is the opposite of how we learn
April
30: Why avoid polluting when air conditioning is more comfortable?
29: Where greatness shows itself
28: The progression of performance-based skills
27: How you benefit yourself by leading others
26: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Slaughter for Hire
25: Why the rules of government prevent people who want to govern from doing what they want
24: The two meanings of exhaustion
23: Want to lead? Look for a leadership vacuum
22: Thoughts from recent talks I gave at MIT and Princeton
21: You have the same potential for passion as anyone
20: Avoiding food packaging
19: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can a Colleague ‘Donate’ My Lost Money?
18: Peace versus personal freedom
17: What “processed” means in processed food
16: How my indulgences have become more indulgent
15: Not everyone who is busy is annoying
14: If you have “too much to do” or “not enough time,” you’re not getting more done. You’re annoying.
13: Fashion and Leadership
12: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Hire Someone to Write My Résumé and Cover Letter?
11: The beauty of Godfather 3
10: Passion versus skill
9: Emotional awareness ruins television dramas
8: Run on solid ground
7: What is fundamental?
6: Winter vegetables
5: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Profit From Accidentally Obtained Information?
4: Why are there no men’s relationship advice columns?
3: What makes relationships last: resolving conflict
2: Look forward as you learn to lead yourself
1: Exercising authority isn’t leading
March
31: How would you behave during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
30: You don’t have to overcome adversity to achieve a lot
29: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Must I Drive My Friend to Have an Abortion?
28: Know your antagonist
27: Know your geese!
26: The last time you interviewed someone
25: The great masters of speaking with authentic voices
24: Your authentic voice
23: A reader comments on why people associate empathy with feeling down
22: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Do You Tell a Friend His Daughter Is Sexually Active?
21: Freedom, from speech
20: Emotions and sharp knives
19: Calling emotions negative is like calling fire or pain negative
18: People don’t behave consistently with the world, your version of it, or what they say about it
17: A quarter century of Free Software
16: Calmness, focus, determination, and presence—an easy way to increase them
15: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Shop at Hobby Lobby?
14: Insightful BBC video on mental models, beliefs, and how your mind perceives
13: Leaders ask advice. Non-leaders think they lead when giving advice, but they aren’t.
12: Involving people attracts and engages them. Pitching makes them evaluate.
11: The idea of a lifetime comes once a month
10: Better than a great idea is an okay idea plus listening to your market plus flexibility
9: More important than personality is skills you can learn
8: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Hide My Beliefs During Jury Selection?
7: Four principles of creating ideas people want to help you with
6: Why convincing rarely works and usually backfires
5: Instead of “How does winter affect your mood,” how about “How do you create the emotion you want?”
4: Why do people always associate empathy with feeling down?
3: Meet the Global CEO of Deloitte, Barry Salzberg, March 19!
2: What do you think when someone acts not how you want
1: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Stay Out of an Estate Dispute?
February
28: Star Trek blunders
27: Want the latest news on food? I don’t.
26: How different beliefs lead people with identical motivational systems to behave differently
25: A reader takes on cold showers
24: Close to cold shower record
23: The death spiral of thinking you understand someone when you don’t
22: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Ask My Neighbors to Quiet Their Baby?
21: My rice cooker / vegetable steamer / miracle appliance
20: Stand Up For Passion
19: Don’t look for blame but take responsibility for improving things to the extent you can
18: Habitualize it
17: Geeking out: new high score on 2048
16: My next Leadership Workshop, Sunday March 1
15: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Dorm Wrecker
14: Why readers like my fast posts
13: New series: Mental models, beliefs, and an exercise to identify and change yours
13: Mental models and beliefs: an exercise to identify yours
12: Some “The most helpful self-awareness exercise” comments
11: Nobody says “You care too much what other people think” when you care what *they* think
10: Why do readers like the posts I write the fastest so much?
9: Fundamentals and technique: what you do when you don’t know what to do
8: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: The Hazards of Other Planets
7: See me at Stand Up For Passion, March 3 in New York!
6: Passions, you create
5: To start a habit, focus on emotions
4: Why I live where I do
3: This pattern improves your life
2: New category: visualizations!
1: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: His Qualifications — and Mine
January
31: 50,000 burpees!
30: You won’t believe this marathoner
29: See Fashion Entrepreneurs Coco and Breezy with Columbia Business School’s Alumni Club
28: Hear me interviewed on Join Up Dots!
27: Influence and persuasion class starts Saturday
26: Watching TV is great if you have nothing better to do
25: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Two Cents, Too Late
24: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview!
24: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview, part 9/9
23: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview, part 8/9
22: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview, part 7/9
21: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview, part 6/9
20: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview, part 5/9
19: Malcolm X speaking
18: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Try This at Home!
18: Prince, Oscars, Olympians, and one of the world’s greatest leaders
17: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview, part 4/9
16: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview, part 3/9
15: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview, part 2/9
14: Listen to the results of my online leadership course: the full interview, part 1/9
13: Highlights from interviewing the first student of my new online leadership course
12: New to the public: My Sales course!
11: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: The Case for Throwback Baseball Uniforms
10: After Innocence: a documentary painful to watch and recommended
9: Op/Ed Fridays: Serpico on cops today
8: Integrity in successful leaders: Stella Adler scrubbed the floor
7: The overeager salesperson and why just understanding someone can undermine you leading them
6: A seminar attendee inspires me back with his TEDx talk
5: I don’t remember feeling this much passion for a project since co-founding my first company in the late 90s
4: Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: D-List Doppelgänger
3: Some science on where fat goes when you lose it
2: I take responsibility for my emotions and no other adults’
1: Why party
Previous Years: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008

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